Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Feb. 1, 2026

Decision to deny appeal of Branson athlete was cruel

I was alarmed to read about the high school athlete who transferred to The Branson School after experiencing antisemitism elsewhere, but was not allowed to immediately participate in sports competitions against other schools (“Marin court ruling keeps Branson athlete benched,” Jan. 23). There are legal and moral issues that deserve attention.

All of us, especially children, deserve to feel safe. It’s a basic human right. Before transferring, the student, a sophomore at San Francisco’s University High, reportedly experienced antisemitic harassment.

When a high school athlete transfers to another school they are barred from playing a full season in varsity sports. There is an exception that allows the student athlete a full season. The exception is for students who experienced safety concerns or discrimination.

According to the article, the state “requires a transfer student’s former school to show documentation of safety incidents that occurred there. Ronald Scholar, attorney for the federation, said the federation lacks sufficient information to respond to the allegations of harassment.” That was disappointing to read.

The appeal of this decision was made in Marin County Superior Court before Judge Mark Talamantes. He refused to overturn the decision. “Playing high school sports is a privilege, not a right,” Talamantes wrote as part of his decision. The judge also expressed concern for Branson, writing that it “could be penalized for playing an ineligible player.”

Talamantes also stated he was “aware of the deplorable conduct” that was alleged. Nonetheless, he was unwilling to classify it as a safety incident.

I think his ruling in this matter is cruel. He is essentially making the child choose safety or sports. Those things should not be mutually exclusive. Talamantes is an elected official. Marin voters should keep this poor decision in mind when they see his name on the ballot later this year.

— Norman Shore, Mill Valley

It is time for PG&E to take control of MCE

When it comes down to it, I think MCE (formerly Marin Clean Energy) is nothing more than a commodity broker selling electricity to the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. PG&E still does the billing; owns and maintains all the infrastructure; supplies thousands of employees and equipment worth billions; and fights all the lawsuits.

Remember that all customers were automatically enrolled into MCE, unless they knew to opt out. On top of that, there are millions paid to MCE staff each year. Now, we find the commodity isn’t as advertised (“MCE retracts ‘100% fossil-free’ claim as oversight reforms progress,” Jan. 25). This has gone on long enough.

In hindsight, it appears we were legislated an extra layer of expense that actually increased every customer’s cost, for which PG&E is being blamed. It seems to me that MCE should be merged into PG&E.

— Dean Moser, Novato

Special counsel’s testimony should have resonated more

Like most families, mine has a number of “stories” that have been told time and again. Perhaps my family’s most retold is that of my sister and I, as toddlers in 1954, got ourselves locked in a closet, which required my mother to call the fire department. While my father was off fighting for his country in Korea, she slipped Saltine crackers under the closet door, only to have us emerge as the firemen arrived.

This story includes the cause of my mother’s inattention. You see, she, along with a vast majority of Americans, were glued to their television sets watching the Senate subcommittee on investigations examine Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s behavior. It was known as the Army-McCarthy hearings.

How times have changed. Last month, Special Counsel Jack Smith testified at a public hearing before Congress. His testimony, under oath, included the statement that his investigation had produced evidence that, to him, proved beyond a reasonable doubt that President Donald Trump had broken the law when he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election and in his handling of secret government documents.

Republicans, trying hard to discredit Smith, focused questions on how he conducted his investigation (actually all within normal prosecutorial bounds), while never disputing the facts.

Where is the kind of outrage that the McCarthy hearings fostered and led to his ultimate downfall? I suspect few even watched. I worry people are busy texting, playing Wordle or binging “Stranger Things.” Does the tidal wave of Trumpian depravity blind us to each individual outrage?

Republics only survive with a connected and engaged citizenry. I don’t know the answer. But, as the saying goes, “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”

— Michael Bloom, Novato